sister
Banned deucer.
Introduction
Looked around the site for a thread like this but didn't find anything, so I figured I'd make one. Hopefully this in the right place; I know its sort of a gray area between competitive discussion and casual play- not really an "Other Metagame," either. However, Draft Leagues are growing in popularity thanks to big youtubers pouring plenty of resources in to them, and are growing more common as a way to approach playing Pokemon. That said, there aren't many places to discuss the format online, and finding a group to create a league is pretty difficult. I figured Smogon was a great place to have a general discussion hub for draft leagues in general. Feel free to discuss your drafts, teams, match-ups, leagues or anything else related to the concept.
What is a Draft League?
A Pokemon Draft League is a Pokemon tournament where players hold a draft to determine a pool of Pokemon they are able to use. Generally, these tournaments refer to themselves as "leagues" and use a round-robin style format, though this isn't necessary. Many leagues refer to their players as 'coaches' managing 'teams' in the style of Major League American sports ('New York Mankeys, Pittsburgh Steelix, etc). Again, these aren't necessary, but just add to the unique flavor of Draft Leagues.
How does it work?
At the beginning of a tournament (usually called a 'season'), all the coaches take turns drafting a Pokemon, usually following a snake draft format. Most leagues utilize a tiering system to rank each Pokemon. In these instances, coaches will be required to select a certain amount of Pokemon from each tier. Many leagues use a point system to limit the amount of highly ranked Pokemon a coach can draft. Most draft teams are around 10 or 12 Pokemon.
Another common style of drafting utilizes Smogon's tiering system; coaches are required to draft 3 OU Pokemon, 3 UU, 3 RU and 3 NU or below, bringing their total team size to 12.
Other rules vary between drafts. Some have a draft for Z-crystals as well, only allowing coaches to use the Z-crystal that they drafted. Some Pokemon are banned almost universally, though this depends on the league. Check the 'helpful links' section for more information.
Why play in a Draft League?
Due to the nature of drafting Pokemon, it forces coaches to utilize potentially underused Pokemon. Since coaches can see each other's teams before battles, it adds a different layer to teambuilding and prep. A lot of neat tech has come up for different Pokemon to meet specific counters.
Helpful links:
https://draft-league.nl/public/pages/wberules.php
https://aminoapps.com/c/pokemon/pag...ue-for-dummies/5GhV_uPZ7ZbwwNRgnwR46mPXlW8Ypd
Feel free to share whatever you'd like about the draft leagues. Looking to start or join a league? Want to discuss the GBA or WBE? Want help on drafting your team or prepping for a match? This is the thread to discuss that!
